


Winter Chill

by AlyssAlenko



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alien Technology, Ancient Technology, Blushing, Bonding, Checking out, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Emotions, Eye Candy, Eye Sex, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Forgetfulness, Gift Exchange, Gift Fic, Hot Chocolate, Jack Frost - Freeform, Love, Post-Canon, Prothean Beacon, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Soulmates, Secret Santa, Sharing Body Heat, Snow, Soulmates, Stolen Moments, Surprises, Through the Years, Trust, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Watching, Winter, Winter Wonderland, a fire is so delightful, first forray into Shiara, hand holding, jack frost nipping at your nose, multiple christmas song references, passing mention of Garrus/Tali, passing mention of Zaeed/Chakwas, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 01:13:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12948108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlyssAlenko/pseuds/AlyssAlenko
Summary: Shepard and Liara share a quiet moment at a Prothean dig site, five years since the start of their relationship on a snowy planet that time forgot. Liara doesn't realize she'd forgotten something very important, but instead of scolding her for it, Shepard just takes the time to enjoy a quiet moment with her girlfriend. This is a Secret Santa gift fic, and also my first foray into Liara x Shepard.





	Winter Chill

**Author's Note:**

  * For [IllusiveSoul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IllusiveSoul/gifts).



Shepard coughed, dust and snow swirling through the air, settling in her lungs as the elevator door down to the dig site slid open in front of her. The excavation site was a melting pot of different cultures and species; seeing so many different aliens working together reminded her of the Normandy and warmed her heart. She’d been waved through without hesitation, by now everyone knew the head of the operation’s girlfriend, and didn’t question her presence anymore...they’d learned _that_ lesson the hard way; even if they’d known her face from all the vids and press coverage of her becoming the first human spectre, she was a soldier, and had no business at a Prothean dig site, and they’d given her the hardest time. She didn’t blame them though...she’d only been there to collect her other half, who was late for their three-year anniversary dinner. Two years later and Liara was late again—always too excited to realize she kept scheduling the excavations over their anniversary, but Molly Shepard was anything but angry; she loved seeing Liara enjoying herself, plus she looked cute with dirt smudged on her blue cheeks.

She’d never been more in her element, and it was adorable.

Molly couldn’t help but stare, biting her lower lip to hide a smirk, hazel eyes raking up and down the asari’s body as she stood with her back turned to her, instructing her team on the placement of equipment. She found herself studying her from the corner of her eye, absently tugging the strap of the bag over her shoulder, thinking about how beautiful she was for what wasn’t the first time. She took it all in, scrutinizing Liara’s every move with her arms crossed over her chest; she was taking her sweet time with whatever she was doing, having not been alerted to her presence. Maybe that was for the best—surprising Liara was the best part of her day. Molly released the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, approaching Liara quietly, startling her as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend’s waist, holding her close and just taking a minute. They’d been catapulted into each other’s lives when dealing with Saren, but the time they spent together was precious; Molly had already died once and was determined to make the most of every moment.

“By the Goddess, Molly, you should know better than to sneak up on me by now! I almost smacked you with a singularity.” Liara gasped.

“And risk damaging your precious artifacts with a mass effect field? I know you wouldn’t dare…” She whispered, nuzzling her ear with her nose. “How is it with everything you learned from Javik, you’re still fascinated by the Protheans?”

“I know after Thessia, I was angry about what I found out, but there’s still things to learn—how many more species did they interfere with, does mine only echo it because of how long we live? I have so many questions.”

Both gazes flicked to the Prothean beacon, snow swirling around it, the clear blue sky as a backdrop and the sun glinting off the frozen crystals; it was beautiful, even if Jack Frost was nipping at her nose. At least the beacon wasn’t pulsing. The Eden Prime one had activated because it had been 50,000 years to the day when the extinction was supposed to start...and if she saw the same blue glow Molly would’ve started to freak out; she’d had enough of that to last a lifetime…or two in her case. Two years and they were _still_ Reaper free, and that was a win in itself. A shiver racked through her frame as Liara took a step back to direct a couple excavators to a different piece of unearthed Prothean tech—her dedication to her craft even in subzero temperatures was admirable. She turned back to glance at Molly, cocking her head to one side as she pulled a thermos out of her bag, pouring them both a cup of hot chocolate, and stirring them with a cinnamon stick.

“I feel like I’m missing something.”

“You are.” Shepard laughed, rolling her eyes and passing the mug to her girlfriend.

Liara’s hands closed gratefully around the mug, bringing her nose close and inhaling the scent and the steam, and bringing the mug to her lips taking a quick sip, the liquid too hot and burning her mouth. She took a moment to contemplate the situation, her mind racing through every possible scenario, lingering on one detail—every time Molly came to the dig site it was to collect her for something she’d forgotten about, a movie with Garrus and Tali, drinks with Zaeed and Chakwas…a missed anniversary dinner two years ago...exactly two years ago, right down to the day. Liara blushed purple. She’d done it again and Shepard hadn’t said a word though she didn’t even seem angry in the slightest, their fingers interlacing as they stared out over the landscape, a companionable silence hanging in the air between them.

“Why aren’t you mad?” She whispered.

“I could dwell on the fact that you were late, but we don’t need a fancy dinner to celebrate our time together—all we need to do is be together, so despite the winter chill in the air, I _chose_ to be here, sharing what you love. What kind of girlfriend would I be if I asked you to give that up and got mad at you for following your passions? Though, I would kill for a roaring fire right now.” Molly smiled, resting her head on her shoulder.

“You are the most understanding woman…I’m not sure I deserve you.” Liara sighed.

“Hey, hey you don’t get to talk like that. The only one for me is you, and I’m not giving you up without a fight…but I know for a fact, the Prothean tech will still be there in the morning and right now I want to spend some time with you…alone. I have a shuttle over the ridge if you’re up for it. Jack frost is driving me nuts.”

Shepard seemed focused on being able to see her breath in the air in front of her, as much as she loved the snow, she missed the internal temperature regulators in her suit, but it was back on the ship, and the winter wonderland spiced up with Prothean tech laid out before her was completely worth the flushed cheeks; it also gave her an excuse to cuddle closer and embrace her girlfriend. Liara cocked her head to the side, still not used to the quaint little human phrases Molly used all the time, even if she’d heard them more often than she’d ever thought possible in the past five years; they were a very interesting species. She couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across her face, all she’d wanted was for someone to trust her and give her theories merit, believe she knew what she was talking about, and now that she had exactly that, she didn’t want to abuse it or lose the sense of accomplishment that she felt. Molly ran her hand up and down Liara’s forearm, smiling at her, taking every opportunity to touch her and snuggle up close no matter the situation. She loved it dearly, always slightly surprised that she’d found something like what they had.

“Let’s go then.”


End file.
